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Bio

Mathew Tembo's music fuses indigenous Zambian vibes with contemporary sounds to create a truly unique form. His latest album, Dadi Mwana, resounds in upbeat, Afro-fusion, reggae-fueled tracks featuring lyrics in various languages skillfully performed on handmade instruments - the silimba (local marimba), kalumbu (one stringed instrument) and kalimba (thumb piano). Mathew is a trailblazer, going against the musical status quo in Zambia of computerized pop. He has shared a stage with world music stars Mulatu Estatke, 3Ma and Oliver Mtukudzi, and has collaborated with Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, the guitar-playing freedom-fighting first president of Zambia. At his shows, audiences simply cannot resist the urge to tap their toes, shake their hips and skank their way out of their seats and onto the dance floor. Outside of Zambia, he has played in Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Holland, Denmark, Germany and the USA. When he’s not performing, Mathew enjoys studying, building instruments, teaching, producing music in his home studio, or learning to play new indigenous instruments. He also hosts an annual music festival in Lusaka, Zambia called Sing Our Own Song, geared at promoting indigenous music.